


All in How You Look at It

by Avirra



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 07:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1973892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avirra/pseuds/Avirra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Downtime after a mission in a beautiful location. So why isn't Napoleon enjoying it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	All in How You Look at It

The day was clear, bright and beautiful with a temperature neither too hot nor too cold. As perfect as anyone could reasonably expect a day to be.

Perhaps that was why it struck Illya as so odd to find Napoleon leaning on the balcony rail of the room they were sharing. His dark haired partner didn't seem to be enjoying either the weather or the scenery. In fact, Napoleon's mood seem morose. Granted, their mission hadn't been pleasant, but they had been successful and were even granted a rare pair of days to rest before they had to board a plane back to New York.

Illya watched his friend's back for another minute, then prepared a cup of coffee the way he knew Napoleon liked it in the morning before going out onto the balcony himself and offering the cup to Napoleon.

"You do remember that I am the one that is supposed to do maudlin. You are stealing my thunder."

Mouth quirking into a wry smirk, Napoleon accepted the coffee, making an appreciative noise after taking a sip but otherwise giving no response. Illya gave him a slight nudge.

"Come on, Napoleon. A ha'penny for your thoughts."

Napoleon gave the blond a side glance.

"Isn't it supposed to be a penny for thoughts?"

"For most people, yes. For what I usually get from you, a ha'penny seems fair."

That managed to get a chuckle from Napoleon. He took another sip of the coffee, then gestured out on the scene he'd been looking over.

"Beautiful day. Beautiful view. A picture postcard scene but I look at it and the beauty takes a backseat to remembering Adams and Feldon."

Still trying to gauge Napoleon's mood, Illya simply nodded and spoke softly.

"They were both good agents and will be sorely missed."

Napoleon nodded in a distracted way, then turned his gaze back to the bridge.

"Drawback of our way of life, I suppose. I see that old bridge spanning the water and my brain goes 'we found our missing people in the water under a bridge very much like that one'. I see the Eiffel Tower and I think about the shootout there when I didn't think we'd get to medical aid in time. I feel like every good thing I see is being tainted by something from the past."

There was a moment of silence as Illya leaned on the railing himself. The silence seemed to go on for longer than it actually did before Illya spoke.

"Associations are impossible to avoid, but perhaps if you framed them differently?"

"Not sure I'm following you, chum."

"You told me once that when you were gone, you would prefer to be remembered for what came before the end rather than the end itself. See the bridge as a memorial and when you gaze on it, recall the good memories with Adams and Feldon. See the Eiffel Tower and view is as a tribute to our survival."

"Don't fight the association, but turn it to a positive memory?"

"Yes."

Drawing a deep, cleansing breath, Napoleon closed his eyes and then let the breath out slowly.

"I think I can do that."

Illya reached out to rest a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I know that you can. You are the most naturally optimistic man I have ever met. To the point of sometimes being annoying."

A full laugh finally broke free and the pall over the balcony seemed to lift with it. Finishing off his coffee with a flourish, Napoleon turned to head back into the room.

"Come on, pal. We have a rare pair of days off before duty calls again and I've already wasted enugh of it."

As Illya came in behind him, Napoleon paused again briefly and looked back at his partner.

"Thanks."

"Any time."

**Author's Note:**

> Geek points to anyone spotting the other 1960s spy reference


End file.
